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{
    "id": 1408742,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1408742/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 190,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "grassroots level. Members have risen above petty and sometimes partisan politics that arise during the passing of the Division of Revenue Bill and disagreeing on things we need not to do so. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this House has gone full circle. I said this last year that I see colleagues who want to reduce this debate to be about how you voted for the Bill last year. I would like them to check the records and appreciate that, at one time, the Senate stood firm and was left as a lone bystander. Everybody deserted us from the national Government and MCA. Finally, four months into the financial year, the governors called a press conference and said that the Senate should stop dilly-dallying and pass the Bill as it is. The history of this House and our fight for better resources to counties is replete with acts of great sacrifice by Senators. The biggest single-year leap we have ever had as a House is from Kshs316 billion to Kshs370 billion. Many people know what happened in that financial year before we achieved that great milestone. With those many remarks, I agree with colleagues that we need to progress this Bill, conclude on it and resource our counties properly. As they begin the financial year, we are moving together in one accord. Finally, I heard one colleague mention the need for us to engage deeply with the institutions of oversight. The Senate is one of those organs that oversight county governments. However, there are other organs can help us on oversight role tame wanton corruption in our counties. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, perhaps it is time to consider a conference that will have an exit. The annual Legislative Summit was supposed to achieve this, but it was reduced to a shouting match. Remember the first conference we attended, it was about car grants and other mundane things by MCAs. I have heard the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the office of the Auditor-General, the office of the Controller of Budget and the Senate. Between the four institutions, we can come up with sound resolutions that will ensure we tame the corruption in our counties. It is not beyond our budget and organizational skills to retreat. This is food for thought for your office as the Speaker and the leadership of this House. Later, when we have the next monthly recess, we should consider a day or two when we can retreat and raise this issue. Sen. Omogeni, you are not doing anything new as a Senator in raising these issues on the Floor of the House. There is no difference between you and the villager in Kihumbu at a funeral who is crying that their resources are being pilfered. You are also in the Senate doing the same. They expect us to do better than that. We need to go beyond the obvious bickering that we have become accustomed to and come up with sound policies between the four institutions of oversight to ensure devolution succeeds. With those many remarks, I beg to reply."
}